Most restaurants that have French onion soup on their menu would vouch for the popularity of this dish. Once considered poor man's broth, the onion soup is today a favorite with people of all classes and a bestselling dish especially in upmarket restaurants. The rich flavor of this soup along with the taste of caramelized onions is irresistible. There's evidence of onion soup being popular as far back as Roman times. Back then and till a few centuries ago, it was considered a healthy soup for poor people to whom onions were affordable and available in plenty. In the eighteenth century, the soup was given a twist by the French who made the soup using beef broth and caramelized onions.
There's been no looking back since then. The new recipe was accepted throughout the world as THE Onion soup and came to be called the French onion soup. It's believed that King Louis XV of France made the first French onion soup when he cooked onions, champagne and butter together to get a snack. These were the only ingredients he could find in his kitchen. Whether this story's true or not, a delicious concoction was born out of accident and is cherished by soup fans all over the world.
If you want really good French Onion soup, there's only one suggestion I can offer; make it yourself. A homemade French onion soup is way better than the bland canned soups that are available at stores; it's even better than what you get at restaurants. Of course, it's much healthier too.
Just follow this recipe-
You'll need-
* Sweet onions - 5
* Salt - 1 tsp
* Butter - 3 tbsp
* Chicken broth - 10 oz
* White wine - 2 cups
* Beef consume - 10 oz can
* Apple cider - 10 oz
* Thyme
* Bay leaf
* Parsley
* Country bread - 1 loaf
* Coarse salt
* Powdered black pepper
* Shredded Fontina or Gruyere cheese - 1 cup
Directions -
* Tie parsley, thyme and bay leaf with a kitchen string.
* Halve onions and cut lengthwise into thin slices.
* Set a temperature of 300o on your electric skillet. Melt butter in this. When the butter melts completely, toss in a layer of sliced onions and season with salt. Keep adding layers of onion slices and sprinkle salt over each layer till you put in all onion pieces. Let this remain for 15 to 20 minutes without stirring. After the specified time, stir occasionally. You'll see the onions turn brown and the quantity would have reduced to two cups. The process may take 45 mins to 1 hour.
* Now, pour in the wine and turn up the heat till the wine reduces to syrup.
* To this, add chicken broth, beef consume, apple cider and the tied herbs. Simmer for about 20 mins.
* Keep your oven rack in the top 1/3rd position and set to heat broiler.
* Take the loaf of country bread and make circular cuts that will fit inside ovenproof soup crocks. Keep this on baking sheets and broil for 1 minute.
* Add salt and pepper to the soup broth. If you want you can even add a dash of cognac. Take off the herb bunch and spoon out the soup into the crocks. Keep the toasted side of the bread on top of the soup. All shredded cheese to the top of the bread and broil for about 2 minutes till the cheese starts bubbling.
Voila! Your French onion soup's ready. Serve piping hot.
There's been no looking back since then. The new recipe was accepted throughout the world as THE Onion soup and came to be called the French onion soup. It's believed that King Louis XV of France made the first French onion soup when he cooked onions, champagne and butter together to get a snack. These were the only ingredients he could find in his kitchen. Whether this story's true or not, a delicious concoction was born out of accident and is cherished by soup fans all over the world.
If you want really good French Onion soup, there's only one suggestion I can offer; make it yourself. A homemade French onion soup is way better than the bland canned soups that are available at stores; it's even better than what you get at restaurants. Of course, it's much healthier too.
Just follow this recipe-
You'll need-
* Sweet onions - 5
* Salt - 1 tsp
* Butter - 3 tbsp
* Chicken broth - 10 oz
* White wine - 2 cups
* Beef consume - 10 oz can
* Apple cider - 10 oz
* Thyme
* Bay leaf
* Parsley
* Country bread - 1 loaf
* Coarse salt
* Powdered black pepper
* Shredded Fontina or Gruyere cheese - 1 cup
Directions -
* Tie parsley, thyme and bay leaf with a kitchen string.
* Halve onions and cut lengthwise into thin slices.
* Set a temperature of 300o on your electric skillet. Melt butter in this. When the butter melts completely, toss in a layer of sliced onions and season with salt. Keep adding layers of onion slices and sprinkle salt over each layer till you put in all onion pieces. Let this remain for 15 to 20 minutes without stirring. After the specified time, stir occasionally. You'll see the onions turn brown and the quantity would have reduced to two cups. The process may take 45 mins to 1 hour.
* Now, pour in the wine and turn up the heat till the wine reduces to syrup.
* To this, add chicken broth, beef consume, apple cider and the tied herbs. Simmer for about 20 mins.
* Keep your oven rack in the top 1/3rd position and set to heat broiler.
* Take the loaf of country bread and make circular cuts that will fit inside ovenproof soup crocks. Keep this on baking sheets and broil for 1 minute.
* Add salt and pepper to the soup broth. If you want you can even add a dash of cognac. Take off the herb bunch and spoon out the soup into the crocks. Keep the toasted side of the bread on top of the soup. All shredded cheese to the top of the bread and broil for about 2 minutes till the cheese starts bubbling.
Voila! Your French onion soup's ready. Serve piping hot.
If you would like to see the photo of this dish and how it turned out, please visit: http://www.onionsoup.org/
